Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...I'm not sure that's really so much a matter of running time as drive. Dawkins and Shuchman need to show us more of what Marx could have become and better explain what she could have seen in Aveling, who comes across here as quite the perfidious louse, even though history suggests he at least had some intellectual substance. No match for Miss Marx, of course. Not that she fully appreciated that truth."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...A brainy, witty, passionate and ingenious mash-up of love and death, as well as of revolutionary ideas and sexual politics, Dawkins’ drama homes in on the life of Marx’s brilliant, emotionally torn youngest daughter, Eleanor, who is portrayed to galvanic effect by Dana Black, an actress of great physical and vocal presence who boldly wrestles with many big emotional moments, but also finesses the more intimate ones."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...But if Dawkins's script is a maelstrom, this production is a gentle breeze. Shuchman's misreading of the play turns its gleefully inaccurate historical narrative into a weakness. The intentionally porous story doesn't hold up under the sort of scrutiny her production demands of it. And this family doesn't love through wit-its members are never witty; at best they're jokey, and at worst they're talky. Dawkins's buoyant wordplay is so flattened it can't keep this overworked docudrama afloat, and it sinks long before the final blackout."
Centerstage - Recommended
"...Black gives a tour de force performance as a complicated woman full of love and grief and passion. She is endlessly compelling in every moment she spends on stage, surrounded by a strong ensemble."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...A story like this would seem to make for quite the dirge, but Dawkins's writing and Shuchman's direction skillfully keep things balanced. Where most would go for grit or melodrama, Dawkins creates an enchantingly elevated world with a heart-tugging nostalgic sheen, punctuated by a streak of Marx Brothers humor. The design work-including the lighting by Strawdog company members Jordan Kardasz and Aaron Weissman-brings this world into vivid life, as does this capable cast. Black's Eleanor avoids all the pitfalls of a role like this. She embraces Eleanor's contradictions without sacrificing her dignity, making the increasing daylight between her ideals and her actions all the more painful to watch. Ferrick's Aveling oscillates, at least in the beginning, between charming and repulsive, but the point at which this tips unquestionably into the latter is one of the most subtly grotesque and menacing moments this side of The Pitchfork Disney."
Groupon - Somewhat Recommended
"...the script doesn’t give her enough opportunities to show such strength. Along with Eleanor and Aveling’s sparring, the play’s more historical moments show who Eleanor really was, but they’re often glossed over in favor of domestic small talk where nothing much happens save for a philosophical undertone or two. Perhaps by cutting some content and narrowing his focus, Dawkins could further explore the spark that drove Eleanor and give her a real motivation to eventually slam the door."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Miss Marx needs some judicious cuts, a tighter focus with the elimination of the gimmicks such as the music interludes. Give us more about Miss Marx and Aveling and less about Freddy. Eleanor Marx's life is enough for a worthy play, so trim the fat and stay on her, she is fascinating. Dana Black is terrific as the contradictory historical figure doomed to a troubled life. This show is worth a look."
Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended
"...The feeling of watching Miss Marx, is not one of a grand sweeping epic or even that of a domestic tragedy (though you would not be faulted for labeling it as such). It feels instead like close family drama, visiting a favored aunt to find her in dire straights. It is familiar, and welcoming and all the more painful because of it."
The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended
"...
MISS MARX: OR THE INVOLUNTARY SIDE EFFECT OF LIVING is a fantastic history lesson. The thought-provoking show is riddled with humor. During intermission and post show, I read more about Eleanor Marx. Dawkins has written an extraordinary tribute to a woman’s descent into truth. "
